Why I Started Painting with watercolour
If you’re looking for an easy way to enjoy creative play, watercolour is for you! The first time I tried watercolour painting was with my mom’s set when I was in elementary school. She had tubes of paint and a giant white palate with lots of little wells and mixing pans.
I’m sure we had the paints out more often, but one memory that stands out for me is painting on a family holiday at the beach. I remember playing with colours and water - not really making anything in particular, but just enjoying the effects on the page. Especially wet beside wet, where I could watch the colours bleed together and be surprised at how it looked after it dried!
We made all sorts of abstract shapes, then turned them into fun critters with markers. It was the perfect “process” art - making art for the purpose of making it, not for the product (side note: something I’m not very good at now that I’m older and trying to make a viable business out of my art! More on that later).
I’ve had a little bit of “formal” training in watercolours through an after school art program as well as three years of high school art class. I have explored books and online trainings and am certain no more education is needed - only practice (something I need to remind myself often). Art is a combination of heart and time - talent only comes after lots of practice. Everyone is creative, but sometimes it takes a while to turn off your inner critic (that voice in your head that tells you you aren’t creative or talented - read the Artists Way for a great resource in tapping into your creative self).
All of that said, I have been practicing watercolour for many years and am happy to share what I’ve learned on how to get started. I’m at home with two young children and watercolour is perfect for this stage of life (any stage of life really). Here’s why:
it’s affordabe: your first paper, brushes, and paints can be purchased for a few dollars each at any art store or online
it’s easy to set up and put away: unlike other mediums (like oil painting or working with clay, that require days to dry and more work to tidy up), watercolour only takes a few minutes to dry and everything can be cleaned with water
it’s fun to play with and allows you to let go of control: you get to play with the water and the colours to see what comes out. The more you let go, the more interesting your finished product!
it’s versatile: you can do it anywhere (you could have have a mini set for taking on the road and/or a bigger set for at home) and it allows you to make all kinds of art (from precise botanical representations all the way to abstract art)
There are a few basics that you need to get started (e.g., brushes, paper, paint) and I’ve shared my favourites here! Side note: I’ve become more picky with my materials at this point in my art journey, but know that ANY supplies are a good place to get started. At first, I had a starter set of paint tubes that eventually dried out, so I upgraded to a pan set (hard paints that are activated with water), and now I have my eye on a professional set of paint tubes that I just might buy up this year. I’ll provide links to my favrouites (which are affordable for the most part), but be sure to shop around!
Firefly Jar: a quick painting with my supplies and reference photos (from a gardening book on the left and a cookbook on the right). I made this as a fun creativity exercise during my daughter’s nap. Watercolour can be a great creative outlet that can fit into any pocket of your day!
